I have to admit—I let Minnesota Sports Pessimism settle in around the 85th minute.
Against all odds and reason, Niko Kranjcar was still on the pitch after receiving a yellow in the first half and being called for more fouls after the fact. Damion Lowe, meanwhile, was sent off despite clearing the ball before his foot struck Michael Lahoud. Danny Cruz’ wonderstrike from the half line fell just wide of the net (“He had been cheating high most of the game, so I went for it. I was not far off, man. I was a little bummed,” he said after the game). Despite lacking offensive cohesion, the Cosmos were applying enough pressure to challenge a dramatically realigned United lineup.
And, as I’m sure you’ve all heard, Minnesota United was winless against the Cosmos. Until last night, of course.
This means that we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory: we’ve cleared our biggest annual hurdle of the Spring Season and have won three straight. As the team moves into a bye week, let’s try to give some context to last night’s victory.
Minnesota United
- Coaches and players alike spent the week alluding to the fact that this matchup was no more significant than any other. Once the whistle blew, it was impossible to ignore the added urgency. “As the game grew on a bit, you could get a feeling from the crowd,” Cruz mentioned after the match. “There are a few of us who haven’t been in this rivalry, but I started to feel it. At halftime, we weren’t very happy about how we started, but I can’t complain about how we finished.” Cruz had his most consistent match of the year in this setting. Hopefully, that work rate will continue to flourish on the wing.
- After missing the past couple of games with a concussion, Bernardo Anor (on loan from Sporting Kansas City) was able to see the field again. Carl shifted to a 4-1-4-1 in the second half, moving Anor to a second attacking midfield slot and leaving Brovsky as the lone defensive midfielder. The infusion of Bernie paid dividends. “It was important for me just to stay patient and play again. I felt very safe. The trainers did a fantastic job. They took better care of me than my Mom could. I’m dead serious about that. The crowd was amazing. I’ve played in big games in Kansas City, but this was an incredible atmosphere. It was rewarding getting to play in front of this crowd.”
- Finding himself firmly anchored into the backline, Brent Kallman had a very solid game as he worked to keep a clean sheet. However, one second half clearance felt eerily familiar to him. “Last fall, I had a clearance go directly to Hunter Freeman, and he ended up knocking it in for the decisive goal. In the second half today, I had a clearance go right to Freeman again. I did the exact same thing. Before he shot it, I had my hands on my head like “oh no…” Thankfully, he missed, Sammy saved it, and we moved onto the next play. It was like deja vu. It was the exact same play in New York. Instead of putting back where it came from like I should, I flicked it on and Freeman found the ball. Luckily this time it was saved and we were able to get a better result.”
- Reactions to Lowe’s red card were mixed from the team. Brent Kallman didn’t see anything worth drawing a red card at the time. “All I saw was him kick the ball away. I guess he left his studs up, and the refs have been cracking down on that. At the time I thought it was clean because I saw the ball fly naturally before the player went to ground, but I’ll have to watch a replay to see if it was a yellow or a red.” Carl Craig, meanwhile, took issue with consistency. “I saw Lowe go in. Geison Moura left his foot in last week, this week Lowe did too. What I’m disappointed in is that Kranjcar got a yellow and then he scythed Ibson in the first half and didn’t see anything for it. He should have been sent off.”
- After giving up two early goals in the season opener against Carolina, Minnesota has held opponents scoreless for 334 minutes (not including stoppage times).
New York Cosmos
- On the other side of the result, New York has found themselves mired in a rare losing streak. This marks the second straight week where they’ve lost a match in the 90th minute or later, with Eamon Zayed giving two goals in the dying moments last week to put Indy Eleven over the top. Despite being a man up, the Cosmos couldn’t capitalize this week.
- The big-budget acquisition of the spring, Kranjcar signed a deal for the spring season and is making an estimated $500,000 over ten games. After the match, I crossed paths with him and we shook hands. When I asked if he would take a couple of questions, he said “not a chance” and sulked his way toward the locker room by himself. His lack of cohesion with the club is far from the precedent that was set by Marcos Senna.
NASL Spring Season Table
- Last year, the Cosmos won the spring with 20 points (5-5-0). With Carolina winning their fourth game in a row (this week’s victims: Tampa Bay) and the Cosmos dropping points to Minnesota, New York may not be able to win the Spring Season again. The average point total of the three prior Spring Season champions is just over 20; I estimate that it might take 22 given how ultra-competitive both Carolina and Minnesota are this year. Carolina would need to get ten points over the next six games to effectively lock it up. A road win over New York on May 1st might be insurmountable for United in the ten game sprint. Minnesota fans may oddly find themselves rooting for a New York win, but a draw is probably the best possible result next week to improve Minnesota’s spring title odds.
- While New York v Carolina will be the marquee matchup of the weekend, Minnesota United will take a bye week to keep grounded before a trip to Ottawa on May 7th. Ottawa lost again on Sunday, this time in Edmonton by a line of 2-0. FC Edmonton had been 0-1-2 before the match.
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